Audit: Utah driver's license division illegally shares data

Motorists fill the lanes along the St. George Boulevard interchange with Interstate 15 on Monday, Jan. 23, 2015.(Photo: David DeMille/The Spectrum & Daily News)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The state is illegally sharing personal data from driver's licenses, a recent state audit says.

The Utah Driver License Division is sharing data such as Social Security numbers, birthdates, physical characteristics, addresses and license numbers, according to the audit released Tuesday by the office of State Auditor John Dougall.

The report calls for an end to such practices, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The Driver License Division, in response, says the law may be interpreted differently than the auditor asserts, and it plans to ask the Legislature to clarify whether it approves of the current data sharing.

The audit also says the division has not analyzed whether agencies that receive the personal information use it only as promised.

The audit notes that state law bans the division from sharing information that identifies individuals "except in the interest of public safety or as specifically authorized in statute."

Auditors found that five government agencies and one outside group are receiving some types of information not allowed by law and that has no public safety interest.

The agencies include the Utah Tax Commission, Office of State Debt Collection, Utah Population Database (at the University of Utah), Lieutenant Governor's Office (which oversees election data), Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, and Intermountain Donor Services.